If you haven't already, we encourage you to sign your organization on or join us as an individual supporter of the Campaign. Please read on for updates and learn how you can be part of the solution!

 News You Can Use

• From USA Today, Greater patient access to records proposed: under a new federal rule proposal, patients would know who has accessed their records; read our blog post for more on using electronic medical records to improve quality and save money.
• From MPBN, the state Legislature's Appropriations Committee reached a deal on the $6.1B budget late last week; the full Legislature is expected to vote on the measure this week.
• Caregivers can get help for parents who need it, a special report to the Portland Press Herald  highlights the unique challenges of family caregivers in caring for an aging loved one, especially adult children caring for their elderly parents, and provides a list of resources.

CBC Comments on Medicare Accountable Care Organization (ACO) Rules

• For starters, what the heck is an Accountable Care Organization (ACO) anyway? Click here to learn more.
• The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) recently issued a propsed rule for the new Medicare Shared Savings Program for Accountable Care Organizations (ACO).
• Consumers for Affordable Health Care joined state and national consumer advocacy organizations to sign on to comments by the national Campaign for Better Care. 
• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation also issued comments on the proposed rule.  RWJF recommended ACOs look to existing collaborative models, like its Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) initiatives, as key partners in reform efforts.  For more on the Maine AF4Q, click here.

The National Campaign for Better Care is leading the Healthy Hospital Initiative, an effort to get hospitals to coordinate care and improve patient safety.  Doing so will save lives and reduce costs. 

We are also supporting the White House Partnership for Patients to urge hospitals to sign a pledge to improve the quality and coordination of care.  Will you join us and encourage your local hospitals and health care providers to sign too?

Read our blog!

Check out our latest blog post on the ongoing debate over the use of electronic medcial records (EMR) and patient privacy.

"Like" us on Facebook and win a book!

If you haven't already, please visit us on Facebook and share our page with your family and friends!  At the national Aligning Forces for Quality (AF4Q) meeting in Denver last month, we heard from author Shannon Brownlee.  The 400th fan to "like" us will receive a free copy of her bestselling book Overtreated.

Want to join the Campaign?

If you want to help us improve care and reduce costs in Maine, please contact Andrea Irwin, airwin@mainecahc.org, or call 622-7083.